Regulating valve for fluid-pumping apparatus



Dec. 15 1925- 1,566,147

c. s. LENZ in AL aseuurme VALVE FOR mun ruurrne APPARATU-S Filed July 21, 923 y 7 [NV EN TOR 621421.535. zwz OPP mrwz'sms GEOECEEE w 4 r I Y ATTORNEYS Patented Dec. 15, 1925.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHABLESSIGFRID LENZ AND GEORGE E DWARD JUPP, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., AS-

SIGNORS, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, '10 AMERICAN MARINE DEVICE CORPORA- TION, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

BEGULATING VALVE FOR FLUID-PUMPING APPARATUS.

Application filed July 21,

To all whom it may concern Be it known thatwe, CHARLES S. LENZ and Gnonen EDWARD Jnrr, citizens of the United States, and residents of the city of New York, borough of Manhattan, in the county and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Regulating Valve for Fluid-Pumping Apparatus, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to a regulating valve for fluid pumping apparatus, and an object of the invention concerns the provision of a simple valve which can be inserted in an ordinary pipe line between a liquid container and a pumping apparatus whereby when a certain variation occurs in the character of the liquid being pumped the valve will close to prevent further pumping of the liquid.

Another object concerns the provision of means whereby a simple valve inserted in the pipe line between the container and the mix ture of liquid is caused to close as soon as the viscosity. of the liquid passing through the pipe changes.

A further object concerns the provision 01 means whereby a valve controlling the flou of fluid through a pipe is caused to close automatically by any variation in the vacuum produced in the pipe by a pump.

The invention is illustrated by the drawing, which is a vertical section through the valve construction and showing other parts in elevation.

The form of the invention shown in the drawing is a preferred form, although it is understood that modifications in the construction and arrangement of the parts and in the character of the materials used may be adopted without departing from the spirit of the invention.

The preferred form of the invention shown in the drawing includes a tank 1 containing a mixture of oil and water which when permitted to settle, the oil and water will settle at different levels, such as 2 and 8, the heavier of the two, namely, the water, settling at the bottom. Into this tank and extending substantially to the bottom thereof, is a pipe 4: which forms a part of a pipe system leading to a source of suction (not shown). This source may be any device, such as a suction pump. In this pipe 1923. Serial No. 653,030.

connection there is disposed a vacuum or pressure gage 5 to indicate the degree of suction'produced in the pipe connection between the pump and the tank.

Disposed in the pipe connection is an ordinary valve casing 6, and I have preferred toshow within this casing a balanced valve construction having two valves 7 and 8 on a common stem 9. These valves respectively are adapted to be closed when resting on seats 10 and 11 formed within the casing. The stem extends upwardly and is connected near its upper end to a plate 12 forming the upper closure of a vacuum chamber. The side walls of this vacuum chamber are formed of collapsible tubing of the type which is known as sylphon tubing. The bottom of this tubing is connected to another plate 14 which is apertured and is connected to the top of the valve casing so that a portion of the valve casing is open to the interior of the vacuum chamber, and it will be noted that this portion of the valve chamber is the one which is connected to the source of suction, the other portion of the valve chamber being connected through the pipe 4 to the tank 1.

The upper end of the valve stem 9 is extended above the top of the vacuum chamber, extends into a sleeve 15, and is provided on its end with a flange or head 16 beneath which a spring 17 is disposed, the other end of the spring bearing against the bottom of the sleeve and the tendency of the spring being to hold the valve stem upward, depending upon the degree of compression of the spring. The sleeve is threaded into a hand wheel 18, and this hand wheel bears on the top of the neck 19 of a chamber 20 containing the sylphon tube or vacuum chamber 13, so that by rotating the hand wheel 18 the sleeve 15 can be moved up or down to vary the tension of compression of the spring, whereby the normal position of the valves under the influence of a given vacuum within the chamber 13 can be regulated as desired.

Assuming that the pump or source of suction is producing a definite suction in the pipe connection, and that water is being pumped from the tank, with this given liquid and the given motion of the pump a definite vacuum will be produced, and the valve is intended to be open a certain distance; and

this normal opening of the valve is achieved by setting the spring 17 for a given vacuum. 111 other words, the spring will oppose the tendency of the sylphon 13 to collapse under the effect of the vacuum. These conditions having been established, the valves and the stem will remain in their normal position as long as the liquid flowing through the pipe 4 is water, since-the parts have been adjusted for the vacuum produced as a re sult of the pumping of this character of liquid. However, it must be noted that as soon as the different liquid commences to be pumped, in other words, if a trace or small amount of oil gets into the liquid being pumped, naturally the difference in the viscosity between the oil and the water will affect the degree of suction, just as if an obstruction were placed across the bottom of the pipe i. This will cause the suction to vary, and by reason of the fact that the vacuum chamber or sylphon tube 13 has its interior connected to the source of suction, this will tend to collapse still more and, therefore, move from its normal position. The collapsing of this vacuum chamber will cause the movement of the valve stem clownwardly, whereb the valve will tend to move closer to its seat. This restriction of the opening through which the liquid can flow will form another and a mechanical obstruction to the flow which will further tend to increase the vacuum. This increase in vacuum will cause a further collapse of the chamber because more of the vacuum will be effective on this chamber. It will be noted, therefore, that this action of the vacuum, after the valves have once been moved toward their seats will increase very rapidly, so that it will only take a few seconds for the valve to be entirely closed.

By repeated and exhaustive experiments it has been found that only the very slightest trace of oil can get through the pump when this sort of a valve is being used, and, therefore. it is to be noted that this simple valve can be used in many places where it is desired to pump one liquid of the mixture but to cease pumping when the level of the other liquid is r ached. This would be advantageous aboard oil burning vessels where the separation of oil and water is very desir-able and by law generally required before the water can be pumped overboard into the port waters.

it also must be observed that the particular type of valve and the particular type of vacuum chamber is not essential. The main idea concerns the provision of a valve in the pipe line between the source of suction and a tank and the connection of a vacuum chamber, to the suction side of the valve and the connection of the valve stem or a portion of the movable valve system to part of this chamber or to an element within this chamber which responds by moving in accordance with the variation in the vacuum produced. It will be noted that the initial variation of the valve from normal position is produced by a change in the viscosity of the liquid being pumped but that, therefore, the complete closing of the valve is effected by the gradual and mechanical restriction of the flow of liquid by the valve itself in response to the movement of the element to which it is connected as the suction varies.

What we claim is:

l. The combination of a tank adapted to contain a mixture of liquid, a pipe line extending from the bottom of said tank to a source of suction, a valve disposed in said pipe line, a sylphon tube connected to and opening into the valve casing on the suction side of the valve, a connection between the sylphon tube and the valve stem whereby the variation of suction will cause a move ment of the tube and thereby a movement of the valve.

2. The combination of a tank adapted to contain a mixture of liquid, a pipe line extending from the bottom of said tank to a source of suction, a valve disposed in said pipe line, a sylphon tube connected to and opening into the valve casingon the suction side of the valve, a connection between the sylphon tube and the valve stem whereby the variation of suction will cause the movement of the tube and thereby the movement of the valve, and resilient means for forcing the movement of the sylphon tube.

CHARLES SIGFRID LENZ. GEORGE EDWARD JUPP. 

